Saswati Sarkar
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Dr Anthony Fauci asks Americans to get vaccinated to stop the Delta Variant from proliferating across the country.
The world's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci had to undergo a surgery yesterday for a polyp in his vocal cord, suggest media reports. The COVID-19 advisor for White House is currently recouping at home. Agency reports also suggest that Dr. Fauci is expected to be back at work by Monday. However, doctors have reportedly suggested him to cut back on talking for a while so that his vocal cords get adequate rest to heal.
Vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are a twin band of smooth muscle tissues found in your voice box or larynx. Their function is to help you produce the sound through your voice. Polyps impair this function of the vocal cords. These are benign (non-cancerous) lesions in vocal cord that can cause hoarseness of voice. Polyps can be the result of strained or damaged vocal cords. Vocal cord polyps, which have high volumes of blood vessels, appear red in colour and resemble blisters. The shape and size of these lesions can, however, vary. Polyps can occur on either one or both the vocal cords.
These polyps manifest through hoarseness of voice, difficulty in breathing, limited vocal range, multiple tones, and even loss of voice. If you are suffering from vocal cord polyps, you may also experience break in your voice, a shooting ear-to-ear pain, an achy throat and lumps in it, frequent coughing, so on and so forth.
You can get vocal cord polyps when these muscles are damaged by overuse or misuse. However, a singular episode of vocal cord misuse, such as yelling at an abnormally high pitch, can also lead to damage, polyps and other vocal cord issues. In some cases, these polyps are also associated with excessive smoking. This condition is common to singers, teachers, orators and others whose professions demand them to talk a lot. Pre-existing health conditions can also lead to vocal cord polyps. These include sinusitis, allergies, and hypothyroidism.
You need to visit an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist for detecting vocal cord polyps. After reviewing your symptoms, the physician may do a physical exam of your head, neck and back of the throat with a special mirror. If he suspects polyps or other lesions in your voice muscles, he may insert an especially lighted scope through your nose or mouth into your larynx to have a clear view of your vocal cord.
The curative measures depend on the underlying cause. If sinusitis, allergies, and hypothyroidism are the culprits behind vocal polyps, the aim is to treat these conditions. However, in case of abuse or overuse of your vocal cords, the first line of treatment is voice rest. If the condition doesn't resolve after a few weeks, surgical intervention may be needed to remove the polyps. A microscope and tiny instruments are used for this minimally invasive surgery. You will also need to quit smoking.